Mark Warner: Debt worse threat than terror

A day after bombings at the Boston Marathon, Sen. Mark Warner said that fiscal issues are more important than terrorism for the future of the country.

“In my mind, with the tragedy of yesterday, the issue of this national debt is a greater threat to our nation and our future than any terrorist action,” Warner said Tuesday evening at an awards dinner in Washington. “We will not be destroyed from the outside.”

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Kerry gets emotional on Boston

The Virginia Democrat comments were part of larger remarks he gave on the importance of putting the country on better fiscal footing Tuesday evening at the Capital Hilton during the Bryce Harlow Foundation’s annual dinner. Warner received the Bryce Harlow Award for his career and contributions to the advancement of government relations.

He comments are in line with what Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen has said on the debt as the greatest national security threat.

Warner also took to the Senate floor Tuesday, saying “our hearts go out to the families if the victims of the most recent tragedy that took place in Boston.”

“The broader point is one he’s been making for some time, but he acknowledges the timing of these remarks was tone-deaf,” Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said.